METHODOLOGY · VERSION 1.0
How trust works
HearOURVOICES is built on evidence, not rumor. Every claim shows its status, its sources, any official response, and its change history. This page explains how those labels and scores are decided. It is public and versioned — when the method changes, past scores stay connected to the method used at the time.
Claim status labels
- Verified. Confirmed by primary official records or multiple reliable sources.
- Strongly / Partially Supported. Backed by evidence, in whole or in part.
- Under review / Unclear. Submitted with sources; not yet fully checked.
- Disputed. Credible evidence points in more than one direction.
- Unsupported / Misleading / False. Applied only after review — never because an official simply denies it.
- Outdated / Cannot be verified. Once true but changed, or not checkable with available records.
Scorecards
Scores describe documented performance, not popularity. Each category shows its weight, the metrics behind it, the data period, source quality, a confidence level, and the calculation version. Missing data is never counted as zero. When there is too little evidence, we show Insufficient Data instead of a number, and every score can be appealed by the affected official or agency.
Outcome labels we use
AllegationComplaint FiledUnder ReviewNo FindingFinding IssuedDismissedSettled Without AdmissionConvictedReversedExpungedDisputedInsufficient Evidence
Review, response, and correction
Serious allegations are never published automatically — they are routed to human review first. Officials and affected parties can respond, dispute, request corrections, and appeal. Corrections stay visible and timestamped. Privileged actions are written to an append-only audit log.